A provincial by-election has been called for Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, Ontario premier Doug Ford announced Wednesday.
Election Day will take place on May 2.
The by-election is to choose a new representative to fill the riding’s seat at Queen’s Park, which has been vacant since Monte McNaughton resigned in September 2023 to take an executive vice-president’s position at Woodbine Entertainment.
McNaughton was a landslide winner in the 2022 provincial election, collecting 25,670 votes, 59 percent of the vote.
Steve Pinsonneault, a five-term Ward 3 East Kent Councillor on Chatham-Kent Council, won the Conservative nomination in a party election over Neal Roberts on Jan. 27.
Cathy Burghardt-Jesson, currently the mayor of Lucan-Biddulph and former Warden of Middlesex County, is the Liberal candidate.
Kathryn Shailer, a resident of Alvinston with a background in secondary school education, is the New Democratic Party candidate.
Dr. Keith Benn, a professional Geoscientist originally from Wallaceburg, will represent the New Blue Party of Ontario.
The riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex includes parts of the County of Lambton comprised of: the municipalities of Brooke-Alvinston and Lambton Shores; the townships of Dawn-Euphemia and Warwick; and Kettle Point Indian Reserve No. 44 and Walpole Island Indian Reserve No. 46.
Canadian citizens residing in Lambton—Kent—Middlesex who will be 18 years of age or older on election day are eligible to vote; voters are encouraged to confirm, update, or add their information to the register at RegisterToVoteON.ca so that they will be mailed a voter information card with information on when, where, and how to vote. Voter information cards will be on their way starting April 16.
More information, including when and where to vote and examples of accepted ID, is available at elections.on.ca.
Important Dates for Voting
• April 3 to April 26 – Submit your application to vote by mail by 6 PM (Eastern Time) on April 26. Apply online or download an application at elections.on.ca.
• April 4 to May 1 – Vote before election day at your returning office until 6 PM (Eastern Time) on May 1. Visit elections.on.ca for more information.
• April 18 – Find a complete list of candidates at elections.on.ca after nominations close at 2 PM (Eastern Time).
• April 21 to 26 – Vote at an advance voting location. Visit voterinformationservice.elections.on.ca for specific dates, times and locations.
• April 21 to May 2 – Use assistive voting technology at your returning office or by appointment on election day.
• May 2 – Vote on election day from 9 AM to 9 PM (Eastern Time). Visit voterinformationservice.elections.on.ca for your assigned voting location.
Political Advertising & Election Surveys
• May 1 to 2 – Political advertising blackout in effect.
• May 1 – Election surveys that have not previously been made public may not be published from 12:01 AM to 9 PM (Eastern Time).
With files from Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter